Barbican's 30th anniversary plans include opening new cinemas with dystopian film programmes

In terms of film, the highlight is Step Into The Dark, a cross-arts programme running for two months as the opening season for the new Barbican Cinemas. These film programmes will explore themes of dystopia, tragedy and surrealism. The film programmes planned are: The Seven Deadly Sins; The Dark Heart of Fairy Tales; Censorship and Oppression in the 1960s; Silent Horror with Live Music; Everyday I Have the Blues and The Dark Side of Down Under.

Specific films announced for the Silent Horror programme include Paul Wegener’s The Golem (1915), Robert Wiene’s The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919) and FW Murnau’s Nosferatu A Symphony of Terror (1922) [pictured].

Also the Barbican Cinemas are planning a new year-round programme for young people, to culminate in a November festival showcased called Framed – Cinema For A New Generation.

The new Barbican Cinemas, on the corner of Beech and Whitecross Streets, will open this autumn. The two auditoria each seat 156, and will add to the Barbican’s offering in Cinema One.

Other plans include musicians Toumani Diabaté, Roots Manuva, Criolo and Gilberto Gil performing in the three-day Back2Black festival; an exhibit of international photography of the 1960s and 1970s; and an installation of perpetual rainfall, the Rain Room. Theatre to be presented in the autumn includes TR Warszawa’s Nosferatu and Calixto Bieito’s Forests. The Barbican has also renewed its partnership with the Michael Clark Company for a further three years.

Louise Jeffreys, Director of Programming, said: “The Barbican is playing a major role in London’s cultural offering in what is an incredible year for the arts. Today we announce further projects taking place this summer as part of the London 2012 Festival, but we also look to the future. Our autumn season presents the very best quality arts – across all genres – as we continue to lead the way through our next thirty years.”